Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Matt and Melissa Peters Owners of  What.The.Soap., located in Prattsville, NY, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We are What.The.Soap., a handmade skincare company, and W.T.S. & Company, our retail location, a locally handmade market. We are based in the Catskill Mountains of upstate NY, recently transplanted from Long Island, NY. We focus on making and elevating excellent, unique, and local artisan-made products from around New York.

Tell us about yourself

What.The.Soap. Started as a handmade soap business and has grown to include award-winning natural deodorants, facewash, and so much more. We started making our products for ourselves and our family and were quickly overrun by requests from friends and our Long Island community.

In 5 years, we have gone from kitchen to basement to garage to now operating a 1,800 sq ft workshop and retail location where we highlight local handmade artisans and makers. Our love of quality handmade goods, supporting the local economy, and sustainability is why we started and why we continue to do what we do.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Though our products have won multiple awards, sell across the United States, and are used daily by a nationally televised late show, we are most proud of our relationship with our customers.

Over five years, we have yet to receive a single rating of less than 5 out of 5 stars and have made so many lasting friendships. Being just two people, we can't make everything for everyone, but everything we make is quality made with each and every customer in mind.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Being a business owner is challenging, but being a maker, a business owner, and having a family is extra tough. Work-life balance is hard for everyone, and we're no exception...we strive to bring the best we can to the plate for our family, our friends, our customers, and our community. Sometimes we get stretched too thin, and I think that's the hardest thing as a business owner...the feeling that we can't do everything as much as we'd like to.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Go for it! It may seem like a huge bridge to cross, and you don't know what you're doing, but people will be there for you, there are resources, and YOU CAN DO IT! If not you, who?
  2. Put as much as you can straight back into the business. If you can fold all the profits back in, do it. Everything you put back into the business will come back multiple times over.
  3. Do your research, focus on your core, but take some risks. The risks won't always pan out, but when they do, that's where you'll make your mark.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Network - don't shut anyone out, be open to people, be open to new ideas and hear everyone out. In the end, you have the final say, but the more information, ideas, and people you have at your disposal, the better you will be.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://whatthesoap.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/What.The.Soap/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wts_whatthesoap/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wtswhatthesoap

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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